1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a gate driver-on-array (GOA) structure integrated in a display panel and a display panel having the GOA structure, and more particularly, to a GOA structure with reparability design and a display panel having the GOA structure.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) has gradually played a major role in the display product market due to advantages such as low operation voltage, fast response speed, light and compact size. A TFT LCD mainly includes a liquid crystal display panel (LCD panel) and a backlight module, wherein the LCD panel is composed of a color filter substrate (C/F substrate), a thin film transistor array substrate (TFT array substrate), and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two substrates. The backlight module provides the liquid crystal display panel (LCD panel) with a required planar light source to enable the LCD panel having display effect.
To simplify the process of various display panels including an LCD panel, a new design has gradually developed where a gate driver circuit for driving a display panel is integrated in the display panel and disposed within the periphery circuit area of the display panel. That is usually called a gate driver-on array. FIG. 1 is a conventional gate driver-on-array (GOA) structure fabricated within the periphery circuit area of a display panel. Referring to FIG. 1, a GOA structure 100 includes a first electrode 102, a second electrode 104, a third electrode 106 and a semiconductor layer 108. The semiconductor layer 108 herein is disposed between the first electrode 102, the second electrode 104 and the third electrode 106, wherein the second electrode 104 and the third electrode 106 are located on the same plane. In fact, the first electrode 102 is made of a first metal layer, and the second electrode 104 and the third electrode 106 are respectively made of a second metal layer.
In general, the GOA structure 100 is disposed within a peripheral circuit area and served as a gate driver circuit for driving a display panel. The second electrode 104 and the third electrode 106 respectively have a plurality of stripe patterns. The second and the third electrodes (104 and 106) are staggered disposed. Therefore, the GOA structure 100 having a high ratio of W/L can be disposed within a limited space of the periphery circuit area, wherein W represents the channel width and L represents the channel length. However, during the fabrication of the GOA structure 100, if dust, particles or other contaminators fall in the GOA structure 100, short-circuit may occur in the GOA structure 100. As a remedy, the GOA structure 100 must be repaired by using, for example, laser cut, so that the GOA structure 100 keeps working. However, if the contaminators fall in such a position that a part of the second metal layer disposed over the semiconductor layer 108 needs to be repaired by laser cutting process, the laser repairing process often destroys the semiconductor layer 108 under the second metal layer, and even destroys the first metal layer under the semiconductor layer 108. Hence, the repairing of the GOA structure 100 may be failed, the GOA structure 100 may not work normally, and the display function and the production yield of the display panel may be worsened.